Redmond Central Connector

OVERVIEW

Redmond secured four miles of the Eastside Rail Corridor and adjacent properties in 2010 as part of a regional partnership to develop a regional trail system and provide access for regional utilities and light rail. This corridor, the Redmond Central Connector, is the artery of the City that links Sammamish, Redmond, and Kirkland and knits together Redmond Town Center, historic Downtown, Grass Lawn neighborhood, and Willows business district. The Connector will revitalize 30 acres of prime real estate in Redmond and draw new commercial, retail, and office activity, and hundreds of thousands of new visitors to Redmond.
This new regional trail will also provide safety enhancements to pedestrians traveling in Downtown and along Willows Road. In addition, it will provide an alternate route to the Sammamish River Trail, which is heavily used in Redmond, for people to use for recreation or transportation.

The public was engaged in the development of a master plan for a regional trail for the corridor in 2010-2011.

THE TRAIL IS COMPLETED IN MULTIPLE PHASES

Phase I - Completed in 2013.

This one mile segment is located in Downtown, extending from the Bear Creek Trail by SR 202 and Redmond Way to the Sammamish River Trail.

Phase II - In design with plans to start construction in 2015.

A 1.3 mile extension of the trail from east of the Sammamish River to the 9900 Block along Willows Road, near Digipen Institute of Technology and the Overlake Christian Church.

Business Owner Meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 from 4 to 7pm at the Bytes Café in Redmond City Hall. Property owners and tenants are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn more about the Phase II project and the anticipated construction schedule.

Phase III - Not currently funded.

The last 1.6 miles of trail would connect Redmond to Kirkland and Woodinville across NE 124th Street. The City, Kirkland, and King County are also exploring options to create a more direct route from Redmond to Totem Lake via Willows Road to the Eastside Rail Corridor, along Willows Road or NE 124th Street. This phase is not currently funded; however, the City would like to prioritize this project in order to improve active transportation modes to offices on Willows and to Kirkland.